Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 11/18/2012
Available Exclusively On
Honestly, for such a “new” series, it sure has repeated a lot. I think the new part should have dropped off long ago. We are seeing the same formula from New Super Mario Bros./Galaxy, and it hasn’t changed, not one bit. There are just a few additions to accommodate the Wii U gamepad, and those aren’t even that impressive or necessary.
If you have played games from the series, you know what you’re in for. This time around, the difficulty of the game is ramped up to 11, and the addition of a four-player co-op can either help or break the game. The biggest addition is the Boost Mode from the gamepad user. You can see everyone on the screen and tap to lay blocks that your buddies can jump on. You can defeat enemies for them, help with bosses, stop items from running away, and even help block obstacles. This is both a blessing and a curse. With just one or two people, it’s easy, but with three or more, you can’t keep track of everyone. If you lay successful blocks, you get a rainbow star, which makes you invincible and allows you to defeat anything. A lot of times you will place a block wrong and kill everyone because Wiimote players rely on the Boost guy a lot.
It’s also mindless fun, but the game’s difficulty will make everyone throw their controllers. I restarted levels 20+ times because I just could not get through them. Nintendo continues to offer cheats, and the worst one yet is the Luigi demo. You can literally hit a green block and watch Luigi complete the level for you, so you can move on. What kind of crap is that? Is this what we’re teaching the new generation of gamers at Nintendo? That game will beat itself? Half the time, I didn’t care because, after losing 25 lives and rotating the gamepad with friends, we just couldn’t beat the level. There is a large variety, and there are some fun power-ups like the ice flower, but most people will give up early on.
Another feature added is the Miiverse. It’s, honestly, just very annoying. People can post what’s on their mind if they lose or beat a level, and it just feels like Nintendo’s version of Twitter, but 5–10-year-olds can post on it, so you get incomprehensible words and strange drawings, and it just feels really annoying. Of course, only the gamepad player can post and see other people’s posts. You can also play as your Mii, which is fun, but these aren’t anything that would make someone buy a Wii U. Once again, Nintendo fails to sell their consoles for their own games.
The graphics really haven’t changed much from the Wii; they aren’t groundbreaking like Mario 64 or Galaxy was. I really feel this series is now dead in the water, gameplay-wise. Mario just needs a serious reboot. It doesn’t help that the game is overly difficult and all the new hardware features are forced, which can actually make the game feel worse to play. Even the star coins are nearly impossible to get this time, and there’s still no reward for getting them all. Going from one level to another just made me feel dizzy with Deja vu.
As it stands, NSMB U isn’t a console seller and doesn’t advance the series at all. The Wii U hardware features feel forced and sometimes break the game. It’s also the most expensive Mario game since the 64-bit era. $60 for a game you have played many times before isn’t a bargain. If you are already tired of the series, this won’t change your mind at all.
Great post tthankyou